Immediate tonsillectomy for the treatment of peritonsillar abscess

Our experience with 119 cases of peritonsillar abscess supports the experience of others, that immediate tonsillectomy is a safe treatment which provides prompt, complete drainage of the abscess. There was one episode of immediate postoperative hemorrhage and one of delayed bleeding, but there were no anesthetic complications. If one believes that the abscess is an indication for tonsillectomy and plans to perform the procedure at some time, we recommend that it be performed as the drainage procedure. The total hospitalization time will as a rule be shortened and a second convalescent period avoided. Its major drawback is the inconvenience of inserting a relative emergency into the schedule.